After the successful release of “Alien: Romulus,” there’s a new addition to the franchise, “Alien: Earth,” which is a prequel series and the first TV show of the saga. The series, as suggested by the title, brings the perilous xenomorphs to our planet. It’s set only two years before Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) and the Nostromo team first encounter the xenomorph threat in the classic “Alien” film. The timeline of the “Alien” series can be quite puzzling, but the video above provides all the essential details you need before diving into “Alien: Earth.”

The 2024 release of “Alien: Romulus” marked the seventh movie in the series (excluding the two “Alien vs. Predator” spinoffs). With its impressive $351 million box office earnings and an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the continued interest in the human-xenomorph storyline remains strong, even 45 years after the original “Alien” debuted in 1979. “Romulus” offered a more straightforward narrative and included nods to significant scenes from the first four films of the series, leading to its success, especially when compared to 2017’s “Alien: Covenant,” which grossed $240.9 million worldwide and had a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although Ripley, the star of the initial four “Alien” films, is the iconic character of the series, “Alien: Earth” will follow the recent movies’ approach by rewinding the timeline to explore human, android, and alien interactions during the early phases of the chaotic universe engineered by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

“Alien: Earth” is set to shake up the whole franchise by being all about Earth’s first direct encounter with xenomorphs. It follows Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a groundbreaking hybrid robot equipped with the mind and consciousness of a human being, and her team of soldiers as they explore a Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel that has returned and crash-landed on Earth near Prodigy City. Presumably, there will be xenomorphs (or worse) on board — or at least human beings infected with chestbursters ready to threaten all of humanity. Either way, it’s up to Wendy and company to not only save Prodigy City but possibly determine the fate of Earth itself. 

Trailers indicate that Wendy — who’s told that she’s special and destined to do great things — will be forced to deal with unexpected new horrors in this tale, and series creator Noah Hawley seems bound and determined to deliver that. “It’s ultimately a classic science fiction question,” Hawley told Esquire in 2022 about the series. “Does humanity deserve to survive?” Audiences will see the first two of eight episodes on August 12 on both FX and Hulu, but in the meantime, watch the video above to fill you in on everything the franchise has thrown at audiences so far, from its very best to its very worst, before “Alien: Earth” arrives.